Ewan Whillans does it again as Cracking Rhapsody ends national drought in Scottish Champion Hurdle

Forget Dan Skelton and Willie Mullins. Plenty this side of the border might be tempted to crown Ewan Whillans champion trainer after what he has done with Cracking Rhapsody.

Not only has he won the last two runnings of the Morebattle Hurdle with a six-year-old bought for just €7,500. But now the Hawick trainer ended a national drought when Cracking Rhapsody defied his increasing handicap mark yet again to score a first home win in the Scottish Champion Hurdle since 1988.

"It's unbelievable,” Whillans said after the narrow success under Craig Nichol.

The trainer is not one to make a song and dance of his achievement, and added: “I keep saying he's that simple to train, all he's done since he ran at Cheltenham is two canters and two pieces of work, he just goes out in the paddock every night for an hour and a half.

"In the Morebattle he was going away at the line and I knew he'd be bang there because he's gutsy and hardy. 

"He's a testament to the yard and Craig knows him inside out, you never have to give him instructions.“

Emotional win

Max McNeill enjoyed an emotional success with the Alan King-trained Masaccio in the novice handicap chase, just weeks after the death of part-owner Niall Farrell.

"That meant a lot to me," he said. "I had horses with Niall for 12 years and we never had a crossed word.

"I was speaking to him seven or eight days before Cheltenham about which race to go for then Kingy phoned me up the Saturday before the meeting and told me he'd died.

"My thoughts were with him when the horse won. He was a top guy and it's sad he wasn't here to see it."

McNeill hopes there could be more to come from Masaccio and said: "He's a lovely horse. He's Premier League but not Champions League, he's not a Graded horse, but Tom Cannon said coming up to two out that he never looked like he was getting beat. I think we'll have a go at the Coral Gold Cup next season."

Scottish success

Scotland made a winning start to its biggest meeting of the year, although 2m½f handicap chase winner The Other Mozzie is trained by Irishman Gavin Cromwell and was ridden by compatriot Sean Flanagan.

He is owned by Jimmy Fyffe, a director of his hometown club Dundee United, who said: "I bought him for Cheltenham, I wanted a few runners and I've always wanted to have a horse with Gavin, so I took a chance and it's worked out.

"He won well. I was standing with my brother Scott and I saw him coming on the bridle — I said 'Please, just jump the fences'

"It was great, what a victory. I love the National Hunt and I'm just trying to get better quality horses coming through. He looks like he's one of them."

Sad note

Patrick Mullins won the bumper on Dysart Dolomite for his father then reflected on the death of Macdermott in the Scottish National.

“It was very sad for his owner Pat Gallagher,” he said. “We had great fun with him last year and he was the catalyst for the yard winning the title, so we’ll remember him long into the future.”

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